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Lexi & Chris In A Truck Camper

@roamlab

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est. 2015 ✕ Nomads on a perpetual road trip in our 1970 Avion C11 truck camper. Trail running, mtb, paddling, overlanding, & DIY camper renovation.
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⁠Hey there! We’re Lexi & Chris.⁠
⁠
For over ten years, we’ve been chasing adventure from the open road, sharing the highs, the mishaps, and everything in between.⁠
⁠
We’re two software developers turned explorers—camping, trail running, biking, paddling, and overlanding our way across the USA. Between the backroads and the backcountry adventures, we share our life on the road and the process of renovating our 1970 Avion C11 truck camper, turning it into the ultimate adventuremobile (one rivet at a time).⁠
⁠
But the best part of this journey? The incredible community we’ve found along the way.⁠
⁠
So whether you’re here for travel inspiration, DIY camper builds, or just to follow along as we figure things out—welcome! Feel free to ask us anything. We don’t have all the answers, but we’re always happy to help.⁠
⁠
𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 @roamlab 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴⁠
⁠⁠
_________________________________⁠
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗴⁠
⁠
1970 Avion C11 truck camper⁠
2015 @ramtrucks 3500 Tradesman⁠
@bowen_customs truck bed⁠
@warnindustries Ascent Front Bumper⁠
& Zeon Winch⁠
@bfgoodrichtires HD-TERRAIN T/A KT⁠
@methodracewheels 305s⁠
@bushwackerinc fender flares⁠
@ternoverland_arctictern roof hatch⁠
⁠
𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘐𝘠 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘮𝘭𝘢𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝘮⁠
_________________________________⁠ Man and woman standing next to a truck camper taken in Sedona, Arizona by @roamlab

3

12

2 years ago

This is our home on wheels.⁠
⁠
And after ten years on the road, we’re still tweaking, upgrading, and fine-tuning our adventuremobile—because the journey isn’t just about where we go, but how we get there.⁠
⁠
It all started with Dodgy, our trusty (and occasionally questionable) 1986 transit van. That first year wasn’t just about exploring the outdoors—it was a crash course in what we thought we needed in a home on wheels vs. what we actually needed.⁠
⁠
Lesson learned, we leveled up: a 2015 Ram 3500 Tradesman with a shell over the truck bed. I built a sleeping and storage setup in the back, and we hit the road again. Simple, rugged, effective.⁠
⁠
Then we found the one—our 1970 Avion C11 truck camper. Vintage charm, endless potential, and one massive project.⁠
⁠
We gutted it, rebuilt the subfloor, wings, and bulwark, extended the cabover to fit a queen bed, swapped in new windows and a roof hatch, designed and installed a full off-grid electrical system (solar panels, DIY batteries, the works), and added a front bumper with a winch. We even teamed up with @bowen_customs for a custom truck bed with built-in storage.⁠
⁠
Along the way, we learned to buck rivet, lay fiberglass and epoxy, seal windows, wire power systems, and plumb everything ourselves. It’s been a slow, methodical labor of love—but what we’ve built fits us perfectly.⁠
⁠
And yet… we’re still not done. There’s always another upgrade, another improvement, another way to make life on the road even better. Stick around as we add some well-earned creature comforts. ⁠
⁠
This adventure is far from over.⁠
⁠
𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 @roamlab 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘋𝘐𝘠 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴⁠
⁠________________________________⁠
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗴⁠
⁠
1970 Avion C11 truck camper⁠
2015 @ramtrucks 3500 Tradesman⁠
@bowen_customs truck bed⁠
@warnindustries Ascent Front Bumper⁠
& Zeon Winch⁠
@bfgoodrichtires HD-TERRAIN T/A KT⁠
@methodracewheels 305s⁠
@bushwackerinc fender flares⁠
@ternoverland_arctictern roof hatch⁠
⁠
𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘐𝘠 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘮𝘭𝘢𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝘮⁠
_________________________________⁠ taken in On The Road by @roamlab

3

31

2 years ago

There’s no single way to explore the outdoors—something we’ve learned time and time again over the past ten years of road-tripping. Every adventure leads to another, and we just keep pushing further.⁠
⁠
At first, we were your typical RVers: setting up camp in established sites, hiking the local trails, capturing wildlife shots that were almost in focus, and perfecting our campfire cooking.⁠
⁠
Then came the game-changer: upgrading to a 2015 Ram 3500 with 4-wheel drive. Suddenly, the roads got a lot rougher—and a lot more exciting. We dove into overlanding and boondocking, trading hookups and paved campgrounds for wild, remote terrain where everything we needed came with us.⁠
⁠
Now, with our 1970 Avion truck camper and @bowen_customs truck bed, we have the storage to bring even more adventure along for the ride. A pair of @kokopelli packrafts and @montaguebikes Paratrooper collapsible mountain bikes let us go beyond where the roads end—on land and water.⁠
⁠
And because “just one more mile” is our favorite mantra, it was only a matter of time before we picked up trail running. Fast forward a few years, and now we’re running ultra-marathons across the country—including some surprising podium finishes. ⁠
⁠
Up next? It’s hard to say. But we are training for our first 100-mile trail race this summer. And you better believe we’ll be sharing every grueling, exhilarating, awe-inspiring step of it with you.⁠
⁠
How do you explore the outdoors?⁠
⁠
𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 @roamlab 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴⁠ Man standing at the edge of a gold and pink canyon taken in On The Road Again by @roamlab

3

19

2 years ago

Aaaaaaaand the solar is out.⁠
⁠
Because apparently the camper heard us talking about replacing the batteries and decided this was an excellent time to make the power system a group project.⁠
⁠
Maintenance issues always seem to come up at the oddest times. We travel with basic tools, spare parts, and a stubborn belief that we can probably figure it out. What we do not travel with is a full workshop, because unfortunately that would be heavy, loud, and difficult to sleep next to.⁠
⁠
At first, we hoped it was a simple connection issue, a loose wire, or a bad crimp that finally cramped. Something annoying but fixable.⁠
⁠
But after isolating each panel, it looks like the panels themselves are the problem.⁠
⁠
Throughput had been dropping for a while, so this was not exactly a surprise. Just the final drop in a now-dry stream.⁠
⁠
Now the hunt begins: replacement solar panels that can fit our existing frame without requiring a full roof redesign in a parking lot.⁠
⁠
Please send panel recommendations, moral support, and any spare watts you may have lying around.⁠
⁠
𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 @roamlab 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴⁠
⁠⁠
_________________________________⁠
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗴⁠
⁠
1970 Avion C11 truck camper⁠
2015 @ramtrucks 3500 Tradesman⁠
@bowen_customs truck bed⁠
@warnindustries Ascent Front Bumper⁠
& Zeon Winch⁠
@bfgoodrichtires HD-TERRAIN T/A KT⁠
@methodracewheels 305s⁠
@bushwackerinc fender flares⁠
@ternoverland_arctictern roof hatch⁠
⁠
𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘐𝘠 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘮𝘭𝘢𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝘮⁠
_________________________________⁠
⁠
#RoamLab #TruckCamper #TruckCamperLife #AvionC11 #VintageTruckCamper taken in Mt. Hood National Forest by @roamlab

3

13

3 days ago

I think here will do.⁠
⁠
Time to set up camp!⁠
⁠
𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 @roamlab 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴⁠
⁠⁠
_________________________________⁠
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗴⁠
⁠
1970 Avion C11 truck camper⁠
2015 @ramtrucks 3500 Tradesman⁠
@bowen_customs truck bed⁠
@warnindustries Ascent Front Bumper⁠
& Zeon Winch⁠
@bfgoodrichtires HD-TERRAIN T/A KT⁠
@methodracewheels 305s⁠
@bushwackerinc fender flares⁠
@ternoverland_arctictern roof hatch⁠
⁠
𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘐𝘠 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘮𝘭𝘢𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝘮⁠
_________________________________⁠
⁠
#homeonwheels #truckcamper #aidstation #ultramarathon #hoodhundred taken in Mount Hood National Forest by @roamlab

3

7

a month ago

People talk about hallucinations they have in the night hours of an ultramarathon. The trail holds strange sights and sounds in the dark. People, bears, and dragons that were never there.⁠
⁠
Me? Not so much. But the exhaustion and the dark did catch up with me around 2 AM at the Hood Hundred. I needed to stop at a vault toilet and told Chris to run ahead. He had been having a low, so I planned to catch up with him after. But a mile down the course, I started worrying that I had missed him somewhere. ⁠
⁠
Was he actually waiting for me, and then I bolted past him? At the pace he had been going, I should have overtaken him, and yet....I turned around, running back and asking the runners I passed if they had seen a man in a blue jacket?⁠
⁠
No⁠
No⁠
No, but I’ll tell him you’re looking for him if I see him⁠
No⁠
⁠
I return to the vault toilet.⁠
He’s not there.⁠
⁠
And my world shifts.⁠
⁠
Because I know the signs posted by this toilet, including a recent report of a mountain lion sighting. And through a muddle of sweat and shivers I come to the only logical conclusion: my husband has been eaten by a mountain lion, and I wasn’t there to beat it off. I need to get to the aid station and rally the volunteers to launch a rescue party. ⁠
⁠
Now I’m running for broke. The remaining 30+ miles ahead of me are meaningless. Pace only matters in that I get there fast. Now I pass the same men I questioned on the way down to cheers of ⁠
⁠
“Wow!”⁠
“You’re killing it”⁠
“You’ve got this!”⁠
⁠
And I have nothing, not even my mind.⁠
⁠
I run the full distance to the aid station in a fog of fear and desperation. Cowbells, whoops, and cheers from volunteers and observers welcome me into the aid station.⁠
⁠
“You’re looking great!” lies the woman checking me in.⁠
⁠
I scan the crowd and then, to the corner of my eye, I see someone walking around the back of our Avion. It’s Chris, back from the dead.⁠
⁠
“Oh! There you are! You took a while!”⁠
⁠
He smiles and passes me his cup of warm broth. Salt, heat, and a whiff of wildfire.⁠
⁠
Photo by @jamesholk Night shot of man and woman hiking up a mountain taken in Mount Hood National Forest by @roamlab

3

9

a month ago

One of the upsides of our adjusted course for the Hood Hundred was that we could use our Avion as a crew base at the Umbrella Aid Station (every 14 miles). Not only could we easily select fuel and gear as needed, we could even change into clean, warm layers in the privacy of our camper.

On a downside, it’s so hard to leave the comfort of our little home on wheels to brave the dirt and cold of the mountainous course.

Some of our greatest challenges are the least expected.

𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 @roamlab 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴⁠
⁠⁠
_________________________________⁠
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗴⁠
⁠
1970 Avion C11 truck camper⁠
2015 @ramtrucks 3500 Tradesman⁠
@bowen_customs truck bed⁠
@warnindustries Ascent Front Bumper⁠
& Zeon Winch⁠
@bfgoodrichtires HD-TERRAIN T/A KT⁠
@methodracewheels 305s⁠
@bushwackerinc fender flares⁠
@ternoverland_arctictern roof hatch⁠
⁠
𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘐𝘠 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘮𝘭𝘢𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝘮⁠
_________________________________⁠

#homeonwheels #truckcamper #aidstation #ultramarathon #hoodhundred Truck camper parked in the woods taken in Mount Hood National Forest by @roamlab

3

12

2 months ago

I made spreadsheets, people. Location, date, course type, elevation, you name it. After getting pulled from the course at Oregon Cascades last year, due to wildfire, we weren’t going to make the same mistake twice. Instead of picking a race in the middle of Oregon, we opted for a race closer to the coast. That’s wet enough not to burn…right?

So, when we heard, a week before the race, that the Grasshopper wildfire was threatening Mount Hood National Forest, cutting off access to the majority of the original course, we sensed a little dejavu.

When half the modified course was included in an evacuation preparedness order minutes before bib pickup, we thought that was it.

But at 5am, we still toed the start line and charged up the mountain. Within a mile or two, I took a tumble and pulled some random important muscle. A couple loops and Chris’s knee was in a full on revolt against the downhills. By nightfall, my Garmin died and lost my race data. And, at 3:30, in a heavy haze, courtesy of the Grasshopper wildfire, the race was ended.

In between, we managed to cover 72.5 miles, waltz through wildflowers like Disney princesses, and successfully to stick to our nutrition plan. Woman standing next to umbrella falls taken in Umbrella Falls Trail Mt. Hood by @roamlab

3

9

2 months ago

We camped here days before the Grasshopper Fire was announced. Now, it’s in an evacuation zone.⁠

Tomorrow, we toe the line for the modified Hood Hundred course and our second attempt at a 100-mile finish.

Along with nutrition, exertion, and technique, we’ll be thinking about the firefighters battling to hold off the flames until season ending heavy rains can douse the conflagration. We’ll think about the people whose homes are threatened by an encroaching wall of heat and the animals fleeing their habitat.

We don’t know the cause of the fire at the moment. There was dry lightening in the area around when the fire started and there currently is a fire ban. But it’s certainly a good time to remember that those fire bans exist for a reason. And just because we have never had a fire burn out of control before, it doesn’t mean that the little spark that destroys communities couldn’t flicker to life tomorrow when a camper thinks “just this one time. We’ve waited so long for this camping trip and we’ll be careful…”

Stay safe friends.
⁠
𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 @roamlab 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴⁠
⁠⁠
_________________________________⁠
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗴⁠
⁠
1970 Avion C11 truck camper⁠
2015 @ramtrucks 3500 Tradesman⁠
@bowen_customs truck bed⁠
@warnindustries Ascent Front Bumper⁠
& Zeon Winch⁠
@bfgoodrichtires HD-TERRAIN T/A KT⁠
@methodracewheels 305s⁠
@bushwackerinc fender flares⁠
@ternoverland_arctictern roof hatch⁠
⁠
𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘐𝘠 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘮𝘭𝘢𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝘮⁠
_________________________________⁠

#hoodhundred #ultrarunning #camping #roadtrip #trailrunning Man looking at a vintage truck camper taken in Mount Hood National Forest by @roamlab

3

3

2 months ago

That is not clouds. ⁠
That is smoke.⁠
⁠
The Grasshopper Wildfire was first sighted in the southeast region of Mount Hood National Forest on Friday, July 24th. We became aware of the fire not through smoke but through an email and an evacuation notice.⁠
⁠
The email was from the race director of the Hood Hundred announcing that most of the course for the Hood Hundred was now closed by the US Forest Service due to the fire. Instead of a 100-mile lollipop course meandering through the eastern region of Mount Hood National Forest, we would be running a 14-mile loop of Mount Hood Meadows ski resort, seven times.⁠
⁠
On the upside, that’s some of the most beautiful trail on the course.⁠
On the downside, that’s some of the steepest, high-elevation trail on the course, run seven times.⁠
⁠
Will we run it?⁠
That’s the plan!⁠
⁠
On to the evacuation notice, which we became aware of after taking a sleeping pill... we weren’t quite in the evacuation zone. That was the other side of the road. So, we struck a compromise for the night and carefully drove out of our boondocking site, shrouded in trees, and into the center of a massive gravel parking lot. Not ideal, but a much more survivable position should conditions change drastically while we slept.⁠
⁠
Fortunately, they did not. And now we are bumming around the limited forest roads still open to the public and avoiding smoke as best we can.⁠
⁠
Race day is Saturday...fingers crossed. taken in Mount Hood National Forest by @roamlab

3

8

2 months ago

In another installment of the misadventures of Chris and Lexi, I bring you: The Tale of the Failing Batteries.⁠
⁠
To be fair, this has been a long time coming. The batteries didn’t suddenly stop working. They still “work” to one degree or another.⁠
⁠
Can we turn on the lights? Yes.⁠
⁠
Does the refrigerator run? For a while.⁠
⁠
Can I cook with my induction stove? Absolutely not.⁠
⁠
At the moment, we are limping along. We can manage about a day of light battery use before they start to fail again, which is enough to function, but not enough to pretend this system is fine.⁠
⁠
The hard part is that we built these batteries ourselves back in 2020, and I’m still proud of the work we did. Can you call a battery beautiful? Because I kind of think these were.⁠
⁠
But we’ve reached the stage where tinkering and tweaking only gets us so far.⁠
⁠
The time has come to replace them.⁠
⁠
Now the question is: do we build our own battery bank again, or make life simpler and switch to prebuilt batteries?⁠
⁠
𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 @roamlab 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴⁠
⁠⁠
_________________________________⁠
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗴⁠
⁠
1970 Avion C11 truck camper⁠
2015 @ramtrucks 3500 Tradesman⁠
@bowen_customs truck bed⁠
@warnindustries Ascent Front Bumper⁠
& Zeon Winch⁠
@bfgoodrichtires HD-TERRAIN T/A KT⁠
@methodracewheels 305s⁠
@bushwackerinc fender flares⁠
@ternoverland_arctictern roof hatch⁠
⁠
𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘐𝘠 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘮𝘭𝘢𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝘮⁠
_________________________________⁠
⁠
#RoamLab #AvionC11 #TruckCamper #VintageTruckCamper #CamperLife Truck camper driving down a forest road taken in Mount Hood National Forest by @roamlab

3

8

2 months ago

⁠It’s time to get moving!⁠
⁠
We are less than a week from Hood Hundred and I’ve already got a ton of pictures and video to work through.⁠
⁠
More to come!⁠
⁠
𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 @roamlab 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴⁠
⁠
⁠_________________________________⁠
𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗲𝗮𝗿⁠
⁠
@sarahmarierunningco discount code ROAMLAB⁠
@engoeyewear heads-up display sunglasses⁠ discount code ROAM30⁠
@garminrunning Fenix 7 Pro Solar⁠
Heart Rate Monitor Pro Plus⁠
Running Dynamics Pod⁠
@salomonrunning hydration pack⁠
@leki.trailrunning trekking poles⁠
@corosglobal watch⁠
@salomonrunning hydration pack⁠
⁠
𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘮𝘭𝘢𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝘮⁠
_________________________________⁠
⁠
#RoamLab #TrailRunning #TrailRunner #RedwoodRunning #RunTheRedwoods Man running through the woods by @roamlab

3

4

2 months ago